From OG Switch Classic to Mario Kart World: A Cow Character That’s True to Her Roots

Sure, here’s a re-written version:

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Wow, so get this — Mario Kart World kicked off its journey way back in 2017 for the original Switch, but bam, it jumped ship to the Switch 2. Something about the devs needing more tech juice to truly build, um, the “world” part of it. Yeah, I know, tech is wild. But here’s the kicker: the top dog (or cow, I guess) isn’t Mario or Bowser. Nope. It’s the Moo Moo Meadows cow. Seriously. I’m not even trolling.

So, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach? They can all just chill in the background. We’ve got this cow, right? That somehow calms the nerd rage over prices and console shifts. This bovine’s got some serious vibes. You ever thought a cow could be so zen-inducing? Me neither.

Anyway, this nugget and more are from a mega interview with a bunch of Nintendo folks – Kosuke Yabuki, Kenta Sato, Masaaki Ishikawa, Shintaro Jikumaru, and Atsuko Asahi. It’s one of those epics you should only tackle with a giant coffee in hand unless you’re into marathon reads. Your call.

So, picture this: back when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was still fresh, these guys were already dreaming up the next big thing. Prototyping since March 2017. Apparently, they nailed the formula with MK8D, but were itching for a “big world” vibe this time. Sounds ambitious, huh?

The Switch technical limits, though? Yeah, that was a pickle. Sato dished on how they juggled toning down visuals and other trade-offs. Lowering resolution, frame rates – basically, creative sacrifices. Not exactly a walk in the park.

Yabuki was all like, “Switch 2, anyone?” in 2020-ish. They had a hunch of what to expect tech-wise, but real dev kits took their sweet time arriving. Until then, they were guessing specs. Imagine doing all that on maybe’s and might be’s. Stressful, right?

And graphics? By the time the Switch 2 was a go, Ishikawa mentioned how designers were all jazzed to make the art pop. They could finally unleash that creativity beast!

And the Cow? Oh man, the Cow. So, the team was brainstorming new characters, and boom, one sketch of a cow cruising like she owns the road, and bam, it just clicked. Sometimes the craziest ideas are just the best, am I right?

So yeah, these “NPC drivers” or whatever. Picture a Cow gripping motorcycle bars with hooves. Just soak in that mental image for a sec. Comedy gold.

But don’t sweat it, Ishikawa assures us this Cow’s still got her animal vibes. There’s something about how she jumps. Legacy stuff, you know?

Could this Cow be your new gaming spirit animal? Drop your thoughts below!